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About the Book

Autumn is a time of bright colors and full harvest moons; a time to reap and savor what we’ve sown. Our autumn years are the ideal time to reexamine our lives. Often spurred on by a 50th birthday or the last child leaving home, it becomes important to question who we are in the larger scheme of things, to wonder what we really want from our lives. Finding Meaning, Facing Fears invites us to explore the many opportunities this time of life presents: opportunities to stretch in our capacities, to face and conquer old demons, and to meet new challenges with greater resources than were available to us before.

Dr. Shapiro helps us discover which alternatives will serve best in our relationships, career, even spiritual quests, and offers answers to the inevitable questions we face as we get older, such as: “Is that all there is?” “Is it too late to change my life?” “Where do I go from here?” and, “I’ve got everything I thought I wanted; why aren’t I happy?”

Contributors

Jerrold Lee Shapiro, PhD is Associate Professor in the Graduate Division of Couseling Psychology and Education at Santa Clara University. Co-Director of OHANA Family Therapy Institute of San Jose and Los Altos, California, he also serves on the... Read more

Books by Jerrold Shapiro

Praise

“Through exercises and real-life examples, the author takes the reader on a journey of self-exploration that allows for the personal growth needed to face the autumn years with courage and grace, and to have a successful transition that is happy as well as healthier than many of our generations-ago predecessors experienced.” —Lynne Trevisan, DC, Assistant Professor, College of Health, Human Services, and Sciences, Ashford University

“Shapiro is able to do what no one before him has -- neither glorify or vilify the 'autumn years,' but instead embrace them...A must read for anyone who either belongs to or wants to understand the challenges of this age group.” —Diane Ehrensaft, PhD, Developmental and Clinical Psychologist, author of Gender Born, Gender Made

“...offers baby boomers and subsequent generations a richly developed map as they go through the precious years between midlife and old age. Readers will benefit from Shapiro's thoughtful writing, research, and humorous perspective on a crucial life phase too easily overlooked in our culture's manic penchant for staying ‘young.’” —Michael J. Diamond, PhD, ABPP , author, My Father Before Me: How Fathers and Sons Influence Each Other Throughout Their Lives, and co-author, The Second Century of Psychoanalysis: Evolving Perspectives on Therapeutic Action

“...a lovely, insightful, and instructive book that thoughtfully guides readers through the rich stage of life that bridges midlife and old age. Anchored in extensive research, abundant with revealing case material, and leavened with the wisdom, humor and compassion that are the result of Dr. Shapiro's four decades as a practicing clinician, the book offers a unique and reassuring roadmap through developmental territory that, up until now, has been largely left unmapped. Keeping his finger on the steadily beating pulse of our shared mortality and humanity, Dr. Shapiro creatively advances our understanding of how the second half of life can be lived with resilience, resourcefulness, and joy.” —Brad Sachs, PhD, author of Family-Centered Treatment with Struggling Young Adults: A Clinician's Guide to the Transition from Adolescence to Autonomy